NEW YORK – Steve Baker, one of the British parliament's leading libertarians, was nearly in tears as he addressed the House of Commons in support of a bill that once seemed unthinkable: a massive economic aid package in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Libertarian though I may be, this is the right thing to do but, my goodness, we ought not to allow this situation to endure one moment longer than is absolutely necessary to save lives and preserve jobs," he said last month. “We are implementing tonight in this bill at least a dystopian society.” Libertarian principles of self-reliance and minimal government have been around for centuries.